Tonight`s lead, the president is fighting to turn this economy around, but Republicans, they`re just playing games. Just a short time ago, President Obama spoke to students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He urged Congress to get on board with making student loans more affordable, and he lashed out at Congress for standing in the way of putting Americans back to work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Plenty of steps we can take right now to help create jobs and grow this economy faster. Last September, I sent to Congress a job`s bill. Full of the kinds of ideas that historically Republicans and Democrats had supported. If they had taken all the steps I was pushing for back in September, when so many people are pounding the pavement and sending out resumes, so many families are doing whatever it takes to pay the bill, Congress can`t just sit on their hands. So my message to Congress is, let`s get to work -- let`s get to work.

Wrong. GOP leadership asks for President Obama to cancel this event saying he should be in Washington helping them get to work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: Once again, he will use students as props in yet another expertise calling on Congress to act.

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: They should be here working with us to ensure they won`t double.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: OK, he should be working with you, speaker Boehner. What student loan jobs bill are you working on today? That`s right, you`re working on neither.

The GOP house just passed the 30th bill to dismantle the president`s health care law. That makes sense because you know what they say, if at first you don`t succeed, try 29 more times. The Republicans` refusal to get serious about jobs is astounding. But guess who Willard blames for the lack of jobs?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Three and a half years in as president, with American in crisis, with 23 million people out of work or stop looking for work, he has not put forward a plan to get us working again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Has not put forth a plan? Guess you weren`t one of the over 31 million Americans that listened to President Obama sell his jobs plan before congress. I guess you also missed this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: The purpose of the American jobs act is simple. To put more people back to work and more money in the pockets of those who are working.

Congress needs to pass this bill.

Congress should pass this bill knows that every proposal is fully paid for. This bill will keep cops on the beat and firefighters on call. So, let`s pass this bill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Joining me now is Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, Democrat from Missouri and chairman of the congressional black caucus.

Congressman Cleaver, thanks for coming on the show tonight.

REP. EMANUEL CLEAVER (D), MISSOURI: Good to be with you.

SHARPTON: Let me ask you, calling for jobs, pushing for affordable student loans, why do you think there so much push back from the other side?

CLEAVER: Well, first of all, the president has been pushing for a job`s bill almost since he got into office, and unfortunately, because of the pathological partisanship we see here in Washington, and there has been no response on the hill to what the president has put forward.

And with the student loans it`s the same thing. We`re facing the doubling of the student loans, and at a time when everyone understands that by year 2018, 63 percent of all of the jobs that will be made available will be made available for those with post high school education.

So, the president is working hard, Congress on the other hand is dealing in partisan gamesmanship, and doing so in an election year at the expense of the American republic.

Millions of people are without jobs today simply because the people on the hill who have jobs are not working to create jobs.

SHARPTON: Now speaking of that, speaker Boehner they keep getting on the president for not being in Washington. Look at the hypocrisy of this. The Republican led house is preparing for their 9th week-long recess this year despite the fact that Nancy Pelosi has said that she wanted GOP leaders to keep the house in session.

Now, this comes on the heels of politico writing yesterday which Eric Cantor admitted the GOP house is done with serious legislation. Politico writes that quote, "Cantor all but predicted 2012 substantially over."

So, all of these about the president on the come back and work with us is just a lot of posturing and position.

CLEAVER: This is not serious about trying to get anything done. And on top of that, governor Romney has said if he wins, and I don`t think he will, but he says if he wins, he does not want Congress to do anything in the lame duck session, which means from November to January, nothing should happen, he said, because he wants to be able to come in and deal with the issues in his own fashion.

This is absolutely asinine. This is not like people are not being impacted. There are people hungry. There are people walking the streets beating the paper everyday looking for jobs, and we`re doing nothing. The legislation that we have approved, though there has been approved from the house has been sent over to the Senate. And everybody over here knows everybody in Washington, all the news media understands that those pieces of news legislation are not going anywhere. They do nothing and they`re not going anywhere.

SHARPTON: Well, you talked -- you used the term asinine; talking about asinine, while the Democrats are focused on jobs, here`s what the GOP is working on. This week, they passed a measure to prohibit light-bull standards. What was interesting is that, these light bulbs stands as were first signed into law by President Bush. I mean, this is ridiculous. Asinine I think is the work you used.

CLEAVER: Yes, this is a war on light bulbs.

(LAUGHTER)

CLEAVER: I mean, we were raging war on light bulbs and people are out in the world trying to field their families and we`re fighting light bulbs and we are fighting Republican light bulbs at that. As you mentioned -- and I supported President Bush when he put this forward.

But you know the reality is that we`re not serious about doing anything here on this hill right now. It`s a political season, and I think people are afraid that if anything moves that`s positive, it may be a benefit to President Barack Obama. And we know that is almost a sin on Capitol Hill.

SHARPTON: Well, we`re not against light bulbs, we are both preachers. Let there be light for the thousands - couple of million jobs with the light would not hurt.

Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, thanks for joining me tonight.

Joining me now is Wes Moore, best-selling author of "the other Wes Moore" and Karen Finney, MSNBC political analyst and former communications director for the Democratic national committee.

Thank you, both, for being here this evening.

I want to start with something that`s getting a lot of attention lately. Lately, Mitt Romney is accusing the president of intentionally harming the economy in order to pursue the health care bill, take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: There was a discussion about the fact that Obama care would slow down the economic recovery in this country. And they knew that before they passed it. The idea that they knowingly slowed down our recovery, in order to put in place balm care, which they wanted, and they considered historic, but the American people did not want our consider historic, is something which I think deserves a lot of explaining.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Now Romney says this argument is made in a book called "the escape artist." But the very author of that book says quote, "that is false, in a variety of ways I don`t believe that is substantively true."

Karen, how long can Romney keep going with these misquotes and fabrications? I mean he is quoting from a book, and the author says no, that`s not what I`m saying.

KAREN FINNEY, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: You know what, Rev? Actually, it`s not just misquoting anymore, there are just flat out lies. And it`s not the first time we have seen it from Governor Romney and his campaign and no doubt, it will not be the last. And I think the reason we`re seeing this is all of the things the Mitt Romney doesn`t want to talk about, big story bubbling this week about his multiple choice answers regarding his service or non-service in Vietnam. Or we`re not supposed to talk about Bain and his time there, right? And now, we want to talk about his record in Massachusetts. He doesn`t want to talk about that, I suppose, because from all that I can tell essentially his strategy in Massachusetts was self deportation. People left, unemployment numbers went down. I supposed that`s what he thinks he can do for America.

So I think we just need to be very clear about what this is. This is a smoke screen. These lies are his smoke screen so that we won`t be talking about him and examining his record.

SHARPTON: Wes, Karen saying they are just lying, is that term too strong?

WES MOORE, AUTHOR, THE OTHER WES MOORE: I don`t think it is too strong. I mean, look at the base of what we`re talking about. So say the president has no job plan just could not be further from the truth. It completely negates the fact that the president was the one who initiated start up America which is one of the most innovative programs that he put in place to actually create entrepreneurs inside this country. It completely forgets the fact that he gets fact that the president was behind the veteran`s employment opportunities act which actually put veterans and who are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan put them back to work. And it also completed in the games of really important the affordable care act that was passed, that wasn`t just about health care, it was also about jobs. Part of the reason that plan was put in place is so that small business owners don`t have to take on the burden of additional health care costs for their employees.

So, this doesn`t just have to do with health care. The reason that the president was so for this was also this in many ways was a job act as well.

SHARPTON: Now, Karen, Romney called poverty this week. He said in this country, that poverty was quote, "a moral failure." Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: Record numbers of Americans are now living in poverty. Forty six million people in this country in this country living below the poverty line. This is not just a failure of policy. It`s a moral failure of tragic proportion. Our government has a moral commitment to help every American help himself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: But poverty would be far worse under him giving the proposals that he is supporting.

FINNEY: Yes.

SHARPTON: Does me forget he supports the Ryan plan? Look at this. The Romney-Ryan plan which cuts 3.3 trillion from low income programs, programs like Medicaid, food stamps, Pell grants, and job training. So one hand you are supporting the Ryan plan that is your plan, and on the other hand, you talk about poverty is a moral failure.

FINNEY: Well, clearly Reverend, that was a talking point that someone wrote for him. Because remember, Mitt Romney is also the person who said that he wasn`t very concerned the very poor because, and I`ll get the full quote, "there are social safety net programs that cake care of those people."

What he clearly doesn`t understand, and if we`re going to talk about a lack of understanding about how things work, is that as you just pointed out, the Romney-Ryan budget plan would slash all of those social safety net programs.

So, if you want to talk about moral obligations, how about the moral obligations that we have to the people that rely on those programs including our veterans, including millions of American children?

SHARPTON: Now Wes, the Republicans in Congress as well as Willard Romney rail against stimulus every day. But, the evidence keeps mounting more and more. The "Washington Post" that, and I`m quoting the "Washington Post," "under questioning from skeptical Republicans, the director of the nonpartisan and widely respected congressional budget office was emphatic about the 2009 stimulus, and he said the fast majority of the economists agree."

MOORE: The cast economists to include fed chairman Bernanke (INAUDIBLE) in which he talks about how ending the taping on progressive policies in terms of how much stimulus we put inside the economy now could be the worst thing for the economy.

What the president is trying to do, the president is trying to make sure that our economy, which would - we still do have a stubbornly high unemployment rate. What the president is trying to do is make sure the policies that we`re putting together and the policy that we were putting forward actually cannot just repress that but then also make sure that true opportunities happen for people and particularly for people with generational poverty and generational issues of access. That is what he is trying to put forward.

So, you know, so ironically, the remarks that came out of Mitt Romney`s mouth I completely agree with. The problem as you indicated is that the policies you`re backing up just in no way sync with those.

FINNEY: And, you know Rev, the other piece of the doing, even John Boehner said today backing up what Cantor had said in your - when you talked about your interview with Congressman Cleaver, that yes, they`ll probably do just another short-term extension which everyone in this country has pretty much said that is a no starter, that is not going to help.

SHARPTON: Absolutely.

FINNEY: These are short-term solutions. So here, they`re blaming the president on the one hand, but not even doing the work that they could be doing to lower the jobs - address the jobs issue on the other.

SHARPTON: Wes Moore and Karen Finney, thank you both for your time tonight.

Ahead, Jeb Bush exposes just how hijacked by extremism the party is.

Plus, Republicans shoot down a bill saying men and women doing the same job should get paid equally. We`ll talk exclusively with Elizabeth Warren about that and the ongoing fight for fairness.

And a show down brewing in Florida, Rick Scott defines in talking on the justice department and suppressing voters. The fight in this swing state is hitting a fever pitch.

You`re watching "Politics Nation" on MSNBC.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: You remember that $12 million house Willard is renovating in California, the one with the four car elevator. Well, he is having a little trouble with the neighbors. Yes, they`re not happy, but I have them covered tonight.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: Folks, have you heard the Republican Party has been hijacked by extremism? What? You don`t believe me? Fine, don`t take it from me. Just listen to Jeb Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAKE REPORTER: Are you worried about the direction of your party?

JEB BUSH (R), FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: I worry that its sort sighted because totally, in terms of the tone of the debate, it sends that we want your support but you can`t join our team. I mean, that`s the short-term implications of this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: He worries about being shortsighted on policies. This is a major figure in Republican politics. He just called out the Republican Party. It`s rare to see a Republican standing up to the rest of the party who pledged never to raise taxes, but he isn`t alone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. STEVE KING (R), IOWA: I signed this pledge, but what do we do when we get taxes down to where they need to be, at some point we are going to cut taxes too much, what`s the answer then?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn`t know I was signing a marriage agreement, this would last forever. And I think the majority of members of Congress understand that you have to have additional revenue.

REP. FRANK WOLF (R), VIRGINIA: Have we really reached a point where one person`s demand for ideological purity is paralyzing Congress to the point that even a discussion of tax reform is viewed as breaking a no tax pledge?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Ideological purity is paralyzing Congress. That`s right. And it`s hurting real Americans and ignoring the majority. Seventy two percent of Americans want to raise taxes on the rich.

Let`s remember Ronald Reagan. Yes, that Ronald Reagan, raised taxes 11 times. The American people want fairness. They want a fair shot. The Republican Party has been hijacked by extremism. But maybe we`re starting to see some cracks in the foundation.

Joining me now is Dana Milbank, political columnist for the "Washington Post" and Cynthia Tucker, Pulitzer Prize winning syndicated columnist and now a visiting professor of journalism at the University of Georgia.

Thank you both, for being here tonight.

DANA MILBANK, POLITICAL COLUMNIST, THE WASHINGTON POST: Hi, Reverend.

SHARPTON: Let me start with you Cynthia.

CYNTHIA TUCKER, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: Good to see you, Reverend.

SHARPTON: Good to see you, Cynthia.

Let me start with you. Does Jeb Bush`s comment matter? Is the Republican fever, as the president says, about to break?

TUCKER: I`m not so sure that they do matter. This is not the first time Jeb Bush has said something like this. Back in February in the middle of the crazy and occasionally terrifying primary debates, he says something similar. She said I used to be a conservative, and I don`t think I`ve changed. But I watch debates and wonder about people just appealing to people`s fears and emotions.

You know, there`s a good reason why Jeb Bush he didn`t run for president this year. He didn`t want to pay the crazy tax of birthers, bashing immigrants, and acting like the slightest tax increase is treason.

So, he just ousted out for this year. But there are no signs that I see that the fever is going to break any time soon, certainly not in 2012.

SHARPTON: Now Dana, the crazy tax. Let me show you the gap between the right and the left.

Since 1987, Republicans and Democrats have moved further apart in their belief. The difference of opinion on social safety net in 1987 was 23 points. In 2012, it`s 41. Labor unions in 1987, it was 20 points. Now it`s 37. Equal opportunity, the split between the left and the right in `87 was 17 points. Now it`s 33. This gap has gotten a lot wider, Dana.

MILBANK: Yes. And it`s not surprising, Reverend, that given that the politicians are polarizing in such a way. They are the one sending out accusers not surprising that everybody else would follow and that`s sort of what the cancer is in this political system now. And you have even the guy lie like Jeb Bush. That`s a brave thing he did.

I realized he said something quite similar before. But if he keeps it up, his own party is going to seek to begin deportation proceeding against him. That is not something you can do on a party. It is largely a Republican problem right now, the crazy tax. But, you know, don`t be fooled. If the Democrats were out of power, the same thing could happen on that side as well. There is a polarization problem that is going on both sides there.

SHARPTON: But, let`s not get away from the point of you saying that you think he had some courage. Let me show you, Cynthia, what he said this morning answering whether the GOP could agree to raise taxes if there offer a deal where for every dollar in spending they were given $10 in tax cuts, listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: But if you`re asked a hypothetical question, which I was.

UNIDENTIFIED MAKE REPORTER: And which they were.

BUSH: And they were.

UNIDENTIFIED MAKE REPORTER: And only you had the courage to say -- I wouldn`t go there.

BUSH: It was living proof I`m not running for anything more than anything else.

UNIDENTIFIED MAKE REPORTER: So they would have said something different if they weren`t run something.

BUSH: I hope so. Because we have unsustainable deficits --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: So, Cynthia, he is saying that he can say this because he`s not running, they can`t because they`re not running, which is your point about the crazy tax. But has the extremists so hijacked this party that people are saying extreme things even if they don`t believe and it doesn`t help the country. And how do we breakthrough this and make some progress in this country?

TUCKER: Are they saying anything they think they need to say to get elected absolutely. I certainly hope that Mitt Romney does not believe half the things that come out of his mouth.

However, I also believe that were he to be elected, he would not back away from that. You know, ultraconservatives already suspect Mitt Romney of not being conservative enough. So I don`t think that being in office would moderate him at all. I think he would feel pressure to prove to arch conservatives that he is their guy. He is not a Rhino, a Republican in name only.

How do you break the fever? I think the Republicans would have to suffer shattering defeat, not just lose the White House, but perhaps lose the house as well and be in the wilderness for a few years before the fever breaks.

SHARPTON: Dana, do you think that this fever breaks or are we going to keep going like this for awhile?

MILBANK: I wish I could give you good news on that, Reverend, but I don`t think so. I mean, ironically, if the Republicans were to win the White House, then they would be in a position where they can`t say no, we won`t even take 99 percent. We want 100 percent or nothing which is pretty much of what you`re getting on this tax verses spending equation here. When they are actually in a position of governing, then, they have to make compromises. Then, their own base goes crazy again. So, it`s just becomes a cycle over and over again.

SHARPTON: Do you think this helps President Obama?

MILBANK: Well, it -- the things hurting President Obama now are not the polarization so much as things that he can`t control in the economy here and around the world. But, certainly to have a figure like Jeb Bush coming out now and saying look guys, you guys are just, you know, flying off the deep end here, that is certainly for people paying attention to that should be a warning sign.

SHARPTON: Still ahead, a fighter for the 99 percent. Elizabeth Warren joins me to talk about fairness, equal pay, and why Republicans don`t have a clue when it comes to Wall Street.

Plus, turns out some of Willard`s neighbors don`t like what he`s doing to the hood. I have some tips on how he can improve those relations.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: Folks, have you checked us out on Facebook? It keeps the conversation going all day long. Today, our Facebook fans were taking Romney to task for claiming the President does not have a jobs plan. Dominic wonders if Mitt Romney and his strategist think people have got amnesia while Lee Ann says, Romney just wasn`t telling the whole story quote, "Obama has put forth a job`s plan that we like." I wonder if he could put forth any plan Republicans would like. We want you to hear and we want to hear what you think to hit over the Facebook and search for POLITICS NATION and like us to join the conversation that keeps going long after the show ends. We hope to see you there?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: Welcome back to POLITICS NATION. We`ve talked a lot about hour fairness is the issue in this election. And this week we saw a stunning vote against fairness by Senate Republicans. Forty seven Republicans, every single one present president filibustered the fairness act to help woman to equal pay for equal work. They blocked attempts to fix this basic injustice that women make 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. Fixing this would seem like a no brainer, right? That`s now how Republicans see it. Massachusetts GOP Senator Scott Browne voted against it, he also voted against the Buffet Rule, making millionaires pay their fair share in taxes. And he voted against the American jobs act, to help the country`s working class. Senator, strange way to fight for fairness.

Joining me now is one of the leading voices for fairness in politics today, Elizabeth Warren. She helped set up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and is now running for Senate in Massachusetts against Scott Brown. I`m pleased to welcome her to the show tonight. Ms. Warren, thanks for joining me first. Congratulations on officially becoming the democratic nominee in this race. You`re a first time candidate, how does it feel, how is it going?

ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE: You know, it`s both harder than I thought and easier than I thought at the same time. Is that possible?

SHARPTON: Yes, it is. In public life especially in politics it`s easy.

WARREN: No kidding. You know, that the part easiest about this is just getting out and talking to people. All across the commonwealth is really having a chance to sit down, to visit with folks, and to hear about what`s happening on in their lives and to feel like maybe, maybe I can be part of making that better.

SHARPTON: Now, what is not easy about it?

WARREN: You know, the parts that are not easy is when we`re not talking about the things that are happening to real people. It just -- foreclosure rates are up in the commonwealth of Massachusetts, there are people without jobs right now. In the last month, the Republicans have voted twice to let the interest rate on student loans double. Do you know how many people in Massachusetts that just clobbers?

SHARPTON: Yes.

WARREN: Where a place with a lot of colleges and frankly a lot of families who are trying to send their kids on to school. Those are the things that are really just hammering families. They`re the reason I`m in this race.

SHARPTON: Now, your opponent Senator Brown tries to come off to a moderate mild kind of guy, but he voted against the equal pay this week. He has voted against the jobs act. I mean, he has better manners than some of those in his party, but he is followed the republican orthodoxy pretty much all the way down the line.

WARREN: Oh, yes. Whenever it counts, he has been standing on the side of his republican buddies, he`s been standing on the side of Wall Street. He has been standing against families, you know, and that part really, has been pretty clear vote after vote after vote.

SHARPTON: How can someone rationalize in the U.S. Senate in the 21st century, women continuing to make 77 cents to a dollar for men?

WARREN: You know, I have to tell you Reverend, that`s what I really don`t get about this one. It`s called equal pay for equal work, which just seems to me not only to be right, it`s like the corner stone of who we are as a people and the kind of country we build. If you get out there and do the job, you ought to be paid the same whether you`re a man or woman. That just ought to be how it works. And the idea that my republican opponent and all of his republican friends line up against that, you know, that`s really, it`s not just wrong, it`s deeply worrisome. Like, what`s wrong with these guys? I get that argument maybe 50, 60, 80 years ago, but today in 2012? It`s like the whole argument around access to birth control.

SHARPTON: Yes, that`s right.

WARREN: Today, in 2012, we`re going to have a fight about whether insurance companies ought to cover birth control? It`s just the wrong direction for our country and they just keep pushing it further and further.

SHARPTON: You fought for fairness all of your life in academia and government, let`s talk about Dodd Frank. This week, House Republicans unveiled a new bill to gut funding for the Dodd Frank`s financial reforms. Are they trying to protect Wall Street banks at all cost?

WARREN: Oh, I think that`s exactly right, you know, and the picture is now becoming clear every day. They fought and fought and fought against regulation in the first place after the big crash of 2008. They just fought it tooth and nail. And Scott Brown, my republican opponent here, he held the bill hostage until the reforms in it were weakened so that the financial institutions could keep taken on more risk and so they would not have to pay a lot of money. And then what happened is once the bill went through, once the bill passed, it now turns out these guys just moved over to guerilla warfare instead of fighting out in the open. What they have doing is they`ve been lobbying, they`ve been pushing, they`ve been pushing the regulators to try to delay implementation to create more loopholes in the bill. In other words, to continue business as usual on Wall Street, that means ordinary families are really getting hurt.

SHARPTON: Well, the presidential nominee Mitt Romney wasn`t even going guerilla warfare, he was open, he said that I am for the repeal of Dodd Frank. Watch this statement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now, the Dodd Frank law is another example of the President`s attack on economic freedom.

My view is, repeal Dodd Frank.

We`ve got to repeal Dodd Frank. If I`m the president of the United States, we`re going to reign back these regulations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: How is regulating Wall Street an attack on economic freedom?

WARREN: Well, the bottom-line Reverend, is it is not. What it`s really about is saying, hey, look, we have to have a level playing field and we`ve got to have a cop on the beat to make sure everybody, everybody follows the same set of rules. You know what Mitt Romney is talking about when he talks about repeal? Let me just add the extra piece. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. You know, the bureau that says, you don`t get to cheat people on mortgages. You don`t get to fool them with fine print on credit cards, you don`t get to trick them on student loans. His notion of freedom is you ought to be able, big companies, big banks, ought to be able to do all of those things, that`s not freedom, that`s a world in which the biggest guys just come along and beat on the rest of us, and say we`re taking your money.

SHARPTON: I have to ask you this before I let you go. Your opponent publicly said, he was for Dodd Frank, but the Boston Globe came up with some private communications that he was really writing about things supporting the banks in this matter. What is your view of these revelations by the Boston Globe?

WARREN: I have to say, Reverend. Isn`t this what people hate most about Washington? Somebody who stands up and pretends to be on the side of the people and pretends to be doing the right thing, and then under the table is out there making it work for the rich and for the powerful? I think that is what really turns people off and they`re saying, what a phony, this just doesn`t work.

SHARPTON: Elizabeth Warren, thank you for your time tonight.

WARREN: Thank you. One final note, we`ve reached out to Senator Brown to come on this show, Senator we hope we`ll be seeing you here soon. Ahead, Rick Scott`s going right after the Justice Department. He is refusing to back down on the voter purge. We`re live in Florida with someone ready to fight back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: Showdown in Florida, Governor Scott`s defiant. The voter purge continues, he wants to fight. He`s about to get one, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: We`re back on POLITICS NATION with the escalating crisis over that voter purge in Florida. Attorney General Eric Holder must now decide what to do about the outrageous act of defiance from the administration of republican Governor Rick Scott. Scott`s Secretary of State sent this letter to the Justice Department defending their attempt to take away the right to vote from thousands of people. But this voter purge list is retiled with errors. For example, new numbers from Miami-Dade County show that more than 1600 voters have been targeted by the purge, just 13 of those people, 0.8 percent have admitted they`re not citizens. But 500 people, that`s 30 percent, have proved they are citizens. That`s why the Justice Department many need to intervene. Already the DOJ had blocked voter ID laws in Texas, and South Carolina, and they expect to intervene in Mississippi where harsh voting laws are disenfranchising thousands of voters. Florida could be next on their list.

Joining me now is Congressman Ted Deutch, a democrat from Florida, and Rod Smith, chairman of the Florida Democratic Party, thanks to both of you for being here tonight.

REP. TED DEUTCH (D), FLORIDA: It`s great to be with you, Rev.

SHARPTON: Congressman, the governor of your state is refusing to back down. What do you say to him tonight?

DEUTCH: This is even for Governor Scott, this is a new low for the governor of the state of Florida to refuse to uphold the law and then to blame the administration for a plan that he hatched that will purge the voter rolls of tens of thousands of legal voters, it is shocking even for Governor Scott. The Attorney General was on Capitol Hill today. And thankfully, we have an Attorney General who`s going to stand up to protect the laws to give voters the opportunity to participate our -- because we have a governor that wants to strip those rights away.

SHARPTON: Your colleague, Congressman Tomas Rooney of Florida released a statement and letter to Attorney General Holder who you just referred to saying quote, "The Attorney General is now actively working to enable voter fraud and allow illegal immigrants to cast votes in the State of Florida. The DOJ is more concerned with protecting the re-election prospects of the President than with upholding justice and enforcing the rule of law. Your response?

Yes. The Attorney General made it clear today that what he is doing is actually upholding the law. It is outrageous for my colleague. It`s outrageous for anyone to suggest that this is some electoral strategy that keeping people on the voter rolls is somehow, at a time when there was 16 cases of fraud out of eight million votes cast in the last election, that somehow that`s a strategy when the strategy that would work is a strategy that the Governor has employed. A strategy that`s puts at risk tens of thousands of legal, illegible, United States citizens were on the voting rules, World War II veterans, there are business owners, there are Hispanics throughout the state that are being targeted, that`s the purge, that`s the efforts that voter suppression that this Governor has now engaged in. If he wants to showdown with the Attorney General, the Attorney General is going to stand up for the rights of Floridians.

SHARPTON: And for the record, we invited Congressman Rooney on, and he couldn`t make it so far. He`s has an open invitation though to come along. Let me go to you, Rod Smith, can the governor be stopped in this. Because when I opened this segment, I talked about the hundreds who have proven that there are citizens that were targeted. And on behalf of those that are being disenfranchised that are real citizens, how do we top this, Governor?

ROD SMITH, CHAIRMAN, FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Well, the good news Reverend is several things. Number one, I think that you`re going to see the Attorney General, if the gauntlet is thrown down as the Congressman suggests, the Attorney General is not going to back down on this again. He can`t possibly back down on this. This goes to the core of democracy. And that`s participation. Second of all, I was proud of our supervisors of elections in the State of Florida. They have already indicated that they are not going to defy the warning that was issued by the Department of Justice.

SHARPTON: Yes, they are.

SMITH: Really, that`s where the rubber meets the road, and that tells me that this is going to come to its screeching halt. It`s been suggested that this Governor and his Tea Party support, and do not kid yourself, and this is part of a strategy aimed at trying to eliminate voters that they believe are more likely to vote for the Democratic Party and the democratic candidates. There is no demonstrable fraud. I`m an old prosecutor, and the first thing I`d asked in the case is, what are we really about here? What they`re really about here is they`re worried about a close election in Florida, and they want to try to eliminate people that they identify as more likely to be with the Democrats. I would also have more respect if they just come out and say, what they were doing rather to try and hide beside, behind some false idea that we are really fighting for a safe democracy. The league of women voters, all of the outside groups have said, we don`t have any appreciable fraud of any kind in the State of Florida. This is about driving down numbers because they realize that for the last four months in Florida, we`ve out-registered them and voters, are people are energized, and they want to drive those numbers down to discourage people.

SHARPTON: Well, the President won Florida with 236,450 votes to be exact in the 2008 election, and now, they say there are 180,000 potential noncitizens we`ve already showed with 30 percent of the small -- already proven them wrong. But if they can knock some people off, this could alter where the state goes if it`s tight. Is this tight? Have it tipped their way or is it tipping the Democrats way? How do you read it, Rod?

SMITH: Well, I think it`s going to be a tight election. Florida always is a tight election. As you know, you`ve watched total number of years. I remember of course my first assignment on the Florida Senate was on the recount committee. I know what 1200 votes can mean in Florida, it can mean the difference between a democratic and republican president. That`s what happened. We remember that all too well. There were people who did not get to vote in that election, who should have been allowed to vote. We know that history is correct on that. We are not going to sit back and allow people in politics to do the very opposite of what we ought to do in democracy and that is drive down voter participation. Whether if people vote, however if they vote, we ought to welcome the participation. The system is richer, the government is stronger, the tradition is enriched when people participate rather than feel like they have to prove their way to vote. And the once that have to prove their way to vote will be disproportionately those which are targeted, which are going to be Hispanic, African-American, young and old. You watch the numbers, that will be the targets.

SHARPTON: Congressman Ted Deutch and Rod Smith, thanks for your time tonight, we`ll going to keep following this. This is very, very important. I am very committed to protecting voter rights no matter who you vote for and no matter where it goes, people gave their everything to get us the right to vote and no one, no one should be allowed to in any way undermine that. Willard has got trouble with his neighbors, I`ve got him covered. Reverend Al`s pot luck advice is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: I want to close tonight by talking about why Willard Mitt Romney should hold a pot luck. Yes, a pot luck. You might be wondering what`s the special occasion. Well, "The New York Times" says, some of Willard`s California neighbors are not happy about him leaving nearby and his plans for his massive renovation of his home. One local says, she`s worried about the quote, "Nightmare of Construction." The others aren`t happy about the giant SUV parked across the entry to the cul-de-sac blocking all incoming traffic. So, I think Willard should host a pot luck to win over his neighbors. And I want to give him some tips on interacting with those humans. First, Willard, be sure to talk about the trees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: It seems right here. The trees are the right height.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Next, don`t brag about your plans for an underground mansion and a new four -- elevator.

SHARPTON: Also, when meeting new neighbors, be careful not to ask personal questions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: Hi, how are you? Don`t -- don`t run away, I`ll shake your hand away anyway. Yes, I know, you haven`t got your make up on yet, right? You do, you do. Good to see you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: And we know you don`t have the best track record with dogs. If a neighbor`s dog gets loose, don`t let it get in front of a car or on top of one. And lastly, don`t insult what people bring to the pot luck.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: I`m not sure about these cookies. They don`t look like you made them.

Did you make those cookies? You didn`t. Did you? No, no.

No, they came from the local 7-11, bakery or whatever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Willard, I hope you take this advice seriously. We really do want you to get along with your neighbors, and we definitely don`t want you moving east to Washington after November. You see, Willard, even I want what`s best for you because it`s best for the country.

Thanks for watching, I`m Al Sharpton, "HARDBALL" starts right now.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. END

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